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Beat the Streets 2025

To usher in the final days of January, Sunday saw the return of Beat the Streets for its seventh year running.


Beat the Streets is a well-known event on the Nottingham calendar for good reason. It hauls together all of the best talent from across the region and throws them onto some of the best stages the city has to offer, all in the name of a good cause. Since its first days, the festival has raised going on £500,000 for Nottingham charity Framework, who aid in providing housing, employment, and rough sleeping support to thousands across the local region. This teaming up of forces, driven by a local love of good music makes for a great day all round.



One of the best parts about small festivals such as this is the allowance of time to explore the venues-I, for one, frequently finding myself holed up in Rescue Rooms for a quick pint or two before the next act on the agenda. With all of the artists on offer, it was difficult to decide who to squeeze into my day, but I’ve just about managed to narrow down my highlights.


As the chill of the evening began to creep in, I decided to make my way over to Bodega’s downstairs for a winter warmer. This warmer took the form of Pict, a band I’ve watched refine themselves remarkably over recent months. Their music has a manner of careful conviction and assuredness, resulting in a sound which never wavers in confidence. Percussive elements blend into the groove seamlessly alongside bright, glittery guitar riffs. Zach’s vocals are the carefully wound thread to hold together this fine craftwork. The influence of Geese’s Cameron Winter is clear in delivery, though the band make this something to embrace, rather than something to shy away from. Elsewhere their sound feels reminiscent of REM, The Replacements and Guided By Voices. In spite of this, Pict maintain their own fresh dialogue. For its minimal elements, the band does well to drift between sleepy warmth and sudden overhanging heaviness. It’s this switch that keeps them striking and all the more exciting. In Bodega’s humble downstairs bar this sense was only amplified.



With the evening progressing I naturally found myself drifting between venues. A stroll over to Rock City here and a climb up to Rescue Rooms’ Red Room there, it was hard to keep track of all that was on offer. As the night darkened, I soon found myself in the shadows of Bodega’s upstairs in the hands of the artist I’d been looking forward to seeing all day- Swallowtail. After seeing their Bloodworm support slot at the end of October I found myself itching for more, so I was more than happy to once again be at their mercy. This quartet are a band with something you can’t quite put your finger on. Their dark allure tempts you into their warped, melancholic melodies with a firm grasp. Blending post- punk elements into their shoegaze framework, their craft is something that must be seen to be believed. Taking to the Bodega stage there was a coolness in their conviction, weaving gritty reverb laden guitars, dirty basslines and hazy vocals with ease. Their sound echoing from each dark corner of the room, everything felt so secure in its elevation. This was easily the highlight of my day.


Before long, the night was due to be over -all too soon. Hailing the stage to close off the event on Bodega’s stage were Sancho Panza, Nottingham’s fresh funk stalwart act. Bringing all their usual swagger and cool, calm collection, Sancho Panza were more than equipped to deliver the groove. Every track was one to get the room moving, a barrage of swanky basslines and melodic shimmying around the soundscape. What’s not to like?


If you missed out on Beat the Streets this year, make sure to get yourself down next time. It’s not an event to miss!


Alice Beard


 

Edited by Alice Beard

Images courtesy of Beat the Streets on Facebook, and Baggy Canvas Media.

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